Boston Cream Poke Cake Recipe

Course: Cake, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 30

Chill Time: 4

Total Time: 5

Servings: slices

Calories: 595kcal

Author: Becky Hardin

This Boston cream poke cake is the perfect blend of convenience and luxury, pairing a foolproof cake mix base with a rich, from-scratch vanilla custard. Topped with a silky chocolate ganache, it’s a crowd-pleasing dessert!

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US Customary - Metric

Equipment

Kitchen Scale (optional)
9x13 Baking Pan

Ingredients

For the Cake

15.25 ounces yellow cake mix (1 box)*
3 large eggs room temperature
1 large egg yolk room temperature
½ cup milk room temperature
½ cup water
½ cup vegetable oil

For the Pastry Cream**

2¼ cup milk room temperature
7 large egg yolks room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons cornstarch
1½ tablespoons vanilla bean paste ***
1½ tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature

For the Ganache

1 cup heavy cream
3 cups chocolate chips

Instructions

For the Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch cake pan with baking spray and set aside.
Add all of the cake ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk until combined. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan.
15.25 ounces yellow cake mix, 3 large eggs, 1 large egg yolk, ½ cup milk, ½ cup water, ½ cup vegetable oil
Bake the cake for 28-32 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with slightly moist crumbs. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before topping with pastry cream.

For the Pastry Cream

While the cake cools, pour the milk into a medium-sized saucepan set over medium heat to simmer.
2¼ cup milk
While the milk is heating up, place the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk well until combined and smooth.
7 large egg yolks, ¾ cup granulated sugar, 5 tablespoons cornstarch
Once the milk has begun to simmer, remove from the heat. Slowly stream half of the heated milk into the egg yolk mixture while whisking constantly to avoid cooking the yolks.
Once half of the milk is whisked in and smooth, stream the mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk, again, whisking well.
Place the pan back over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and you see a few large bubbles pop on the surface. Boil for 30-60 seconds while whisking vigorously, then remove from heat.
Add the vanilla bean paste and butter and whisk to combine. Set aside.
1½ tablespoons vanilla bean paste, 1½ tablespoons unsalted butter
Use the handle of a wooden spoon or a skewer to poke evenly-spaced holes into the top of the cooled cake.
Pour the pastry cream over the surface of the cake and spread to all of the edges. Gently press the pastry cream down onto the cake so that it goes down into the holes that have been poked into the cake.
Cover the cake with plastic wrap pressed to the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Place the pan into the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours before topping with ganache.

For the Ganache

Place the heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 1 minute. Pour the heated heavy cream over the chocolate chips and let set for 1 minute to allow the chocolate to melt. Stir together until a smooth, silky ganache has formed.
3 cups chocolate chips, 1 cup heavy cream

Assembly

Once the cake has chilled, uncover it. Pour the ganache onto the cake and spread to the edges. Let set for 5 minutes to allow the ganache to set up slightly. Slice and serve.

Video

Notes

*You can change this cake up with your favorite boxed cake mix. Try white, vanilla, or chocolate cake!

**If you're really struggling to make the pastry cream or you're pressed for time, you can substitute 1-2 packages of vanilla instant pudding prepared according to the directions.

***If you can't find vanilla bean paste, use 2 tbsp of pure vanilla extract in its place.

Cake Tips:

Optionally add 1 tsp of almond extract or an extra splash of vanilla to the cake batter for extra flavor.
Only poke holes ¾ down into the cake, and space them out evenly to prevent collapse.
Ensure the cake is completely cold before filling. If it's still warm, it will absorb the pudding rather than creating pockets.

Pastry Cream Tips:

If the egg yolks cook in the pastry cream, press the mixture through a mesh sieve or blend with an immersion blender. If the egg yolks curdle and the mixture is extremely chunky, start over.
Tap the pan firmly on the counter after pouring the cream to force air bubbles out of the holes.

Ganache Tips:

Optionally add 1 tbsp of light corn syrup or room-temperature butter to your ganache after the chocolate has melted for a high-gloss finish.
Let the ganache cool on the counter until it is room temperature and slightly thickened (but still pourable) before adding it to the chilled cake.
This is a very stiff/firm ganache. For a softer ganache, use 2 cups of chocolate chips instead.

Make-Ahead: Make the entire cake except for the ganache up to 3 days in advance of serving. Cover tightly with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface of the pastry cream to prevent it from forming a skin. Make the ganache just before serving.

Storage: Store poke cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Nutrition